Roaring rivers, Part 1

We really like waterfalls. I mean, we really, really, really like waterfalls.

the blogger taking a photo at Pine Creek Falls, north of Yellowstone Natl. Park

And the rivers that plunge over them.

Macdonald "Creek" approaching Macdonald Falls, Glacier Natl. Park

So I wanted to showcase the wonderful, spring-full rivers we saw on our trip to Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho with a special blog post.

However, when I started going through my photos of these beauties, it became obvious that I would need more than one post to cover them all. And that's even after devoting a separate write-up to the Yellowstone and its Great Falls, as well as one on the Missouri's set of Great Falls. Not to mention Idaho Falls' inclusion in my post about Rocky Mountain small towns.

Dividing up the locations seemed the best idea. So today I'll show you the rivers and falls we enjoyed pre-Glacier National Park, and next time I'll show you those amazing water features.

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First up was a delightful hike that we serendipitously stumbled upon by glancing at an attractions magazine in our motel in Livingston, Montana. This was before the Billings wedding that was the impetus for our whole trip, and even before we'd seen a single World Cup game.

A little ways down Highway 89 towards Yellowstone, is the turnoff for Pine Creek. It's in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness area, within the Gallatin National Forest. These protected areas join up with Yellowstone itself to comprise, according to the Forest Service website, "the largest intact ecosystem in the continental United States." (I'm rather assuming they meant in the lower-48.)

The hike was along the Creek for most of its length, affording great views of the snow-melt-swollen stream...a sight we would get very used to seeing throughout our trip.

yes, it's a "creek," although our Texas "rivers"
would kill for half this flow right now

Then, the spectacular falls. Which you can't even get in one picture, since at this water level it splits into two up at the top. We were told that later in the summer, the "subsidiary" falls (on the right) will dry up...

You can see the spray from the top of the main falls just beyond the boulder at the top of the secondary one. What a great waterfall!

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After the wedding we took the scenic route over to Yellowstone. And waterfalls provided part of the scenery, along with the spectacular mountains and snowfields.

This is Lake Creek (I think; my notes were sketchy), in between Beartooth Lake and Pilot Peak. At any rate, it was close to the road and a gorgeous, really roaring stream...

Especially this high in the mountains, this guy is nothing but whitewater...

not exactly kayak-able, in my expert opinion

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Once in Yellowstone, there are more waterfalls for your wonder and delight. (In addition, of course, to their Great Falls.)

On our first day in the Park we made a short stop at Tower Falls, just south of where the Beartooth Highway (US 212) ends at the Park's Grand Loop Road.

Not too shabby, eh? Here's a slightly closer view of just the falls...

The Park Service website says it's 132 feet high. I was more impressed with its so very graceful fall of the water than the pure stats.

Later we saw another spectacular falls in the Park: Kepler Cascades. As the name indicates, it's actually a series of falls (which make panoramic photos difficult to take) between Biscuit Basin and Lake Yellowstone, on the Firehole River. Here's the closest to a full-view shot I was able to get...

...another view right at the edge of the overlook platform...

...and a view of the river downstream from the Cascades...

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Some readers might be wondering, "But Henry and Kathy like to paddle. Didn't they travel on any of these gorgeous rivers?"

One answer to this question might be found in some of the views of the ferocious whitewater you can see above. Henry might, in his fantasy life, think of these as fun paddling streams, but Kathy sure doesn't. Another answer was our limited time, with so much we wanted to see.

However, we did take a half-day rafting trip in Gardiner, Montana, on the Yellowstone itself. (With the appropriately-named Yellowstone Raft Company, who we can confidently recommend.) What a wonderful river to check off your life list!

In between the famous falls of the Grand Canyon (above on the left) and the more placid, but still surging, stream that we saw in Livingston (on the right) there are some great paddling stretches. Including, we learned, some canyon runs that are much too exciting for us 60-somethings. Fortunately, at Gardiner the river is still exciting, but not terrifying, and we thoroughly enjoyed our float.

I don't have too many pictures of the trip, since it was hard to get an even shot when you were bouncing around, dipping and climbing the waves. But on a relatively calm stretch of water, I passed my camera over to the other boat in our party and they snapped this one of us:

I'm second from the right and Henry's third from the left. Here's a sample of some of the views we got from mid-stream; again, this was taken in relatively calm water:

I wish I could show you how the non-calm water looked from the boat, but while we were in those sections we were much too busy paddling (according to instructions from our wonderful guide) and praying, or, alternatively, recuperating from adrenaline rush, to even think about pictures. The hairiest stretch of the river, too, is right after you launch, so you don't have time to practice or much time to mentally prepare. Here's a snap of the rapids right where we put in (taken while I was still on terra firma)...

Lots of white stuff!

Of course we wished we had had time to do more rafting, but were very pleased with this trip. 

On to Glacier next time, and some more fabulous waterfalls and non-paddleable waterways!